We want your merchandise purchase to be a pleasant one!
You need to be prepared. We have found that many customers have either never received a shipment from a common carrier or have had serious misconceptions about the general rules of receiving.

Because of this conflict, we have explained the essential facts that you must know about receiving your merchandise by a common freight carrier.. Take the time to read all this important information before you place your order and feel free to call with any questions...

Read Everything!
It is very important that you read all the information on this page. Receiving merchandise that weights over 100 lbs requires shipment by a common freight carrier.

Commercial or Residential Delivery? Location matters!
The cost of shipping the merchandise to a commercial address differs from the shipping to a residential address. If your business is located in a residential area, you pay residential rates.

If you have your merchandise delivered in a residential area (specifically zoned "residential"), there will be an additional fee by the carrier which you will have to pay. Before ordering for residential delivery now, a special nominal fee will be added to your order. Remember, metropolitan areas or some inaccessible or extremely remote areas of the country might effect your cost status. See further details below.

Want the Merchandise taken off the truck?
You can specifically arrange for a power lift-gate delivery. In this instance the driver is responsible for removing the merchandise from the truck by placing it on the hydraulic platform and lowering it to the ground. The driver is not responsible for putting the merchandise into a garage or shop, so you need to make arrangements to finish receiving your merchandise.

Live in an inaccessible area?
Because of other possible unique factors regarding your location (small islands, extremely remote locations), we will not be responsible for any additional fees that might be incurred in delivering your merchandise. We will make every attempt to secure all pertinent costs before your order is shipped and let you know the costs. Our staff is very thorough.

What is a common carrier?
A common carrier is a large truck also known as a tractor trailer. If you have never had a delivery at your business or residence by a common carrier, you need to be sure that your location is accessible by the truck.

What is the driver responsible for?
It is important to know that the driver is not required to remove the merchandise from the truck, only bring it to the rear of the trailer. However you can arrange for a power lift-gate delivery (As explained above).

Inspect before signing!
If you see any damage to the exterior of the crating, you need to make an immediate decision, "do I receive or refuse the shipment"? This may depend on the drivers cooperation. A slightly creased box or tear in the cardboard does not mean there was damage, but it does mean you need to investigate BEFORE signing off. Once you sign for the merchandise, it's yours! Equipment Specialists Inc. or the trucking company are no longer responsible.

SAVE ALL YOUR BOXING AND CRATING MATERIALS!
It is your responsibility to save all boxing and packing materials until you are certain that the merchandise is undamaged. Without the boxing materials, the freight company will not honor any damage claim. If you throw out the crate boxing materials prematurely, you will be responsible for any damage that may have occurred. We will no longer be able to assist you, so please don't make this mistake.

Looks can be deceiving.
If the cardboard box looks damaged, try to have a look at the interior without removing all the strapping used to secure it to the pallet.

Carefully cutting with a box cutter is one way to quickly survey for damage. You can make an incision to see if there is any serious damage. If there is, refuse the shipment. If you see that the merchandise was physically damaged have a taper ready to reseal the box. If the merchandise looks good, do the following:

Be on the safe side.
It is strongly advised to inspect your merchandise completely BEFORE the driver leaves. So if the merchandise passed your initial inspection, be prepared to quickly open it and make a final inspection for concealed damage before your driver leaves. Drivers have a way of not wanting to stay for a final inspection, so be persistent and quick about it! It only takes a minute to remove the cardboard for the final inspection.

Don't let the driver get away until...
Before the driver leaves, inspect for concealed damage. If you find damage, note this on his paperwork! Never let the driver get away without a description of the concealed damage noted on the Bill of Landing and have the driver sign by your notation. If you report damage later you may never get a claim honored. They will say you damaged the equipment!

If the damage is easily repairable, we will get a claim entered quickly. Note: a small chip is not a reason to refuse an entire shipment. This can be easily repaired.

When you sign for a shipment in "OK" condition, it's yours.
When you sign for merchandise in good condition, Equipment Specialists Inc. and the manufacturer of the merchandise are no longer responsible for any claims or later discoveries. Your signature on the Bill of Landing confirms that goods have been received in satisfactory condition and it is your acceptance of the shipping transaction. If someone else is going to receive the merchandise (a receiving department or a contractor) and they sign for damaged merchandise, you are totally responsible for their actions. There is no recourse for later claims if they don't follow procedure.

If it turns out that your merchandise was received and you had concealed damage which you (or someone else) failed to note on the Bill of Landing at the time of the delivery, you should contact the trucking company immediate and report the concealed damage. Write down the name of your contacts at the trucking company. Explain the damage and file a concealed damage report promptly.

If the merchandise has major damage...
If it is immediately obvious that the merchandise has major damage, try to call us while the driver is there. If you can't contact us (because you are calling after hours), refuse it. Notify us immediately by phone message and e-mail. We will take over from there. We will do everything we can to expedite another shipment of the merchandise and take over the claim.

The Good News Is...
The good news is, damages are very rare. Our merchandise is very well protected with the packing materials. Reading this information may be intimidating, but if you were not aware of proper receiving procedures for your protection, you now can receive any freight confidently.

We strive to educate our customers who are new to business (or teaching) and unaware of standard "common sense" rules for receiving freight. We don't want you to learn the hard way in the unlikely event your merchandise is damaged in transit.